EW NEWS & OPINION
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mately, it will heal like almost every
other abrasion, but in the meantime,
it feels like sandpaper across the part
of the cornea that's exposed. In ad-
dition to snow, this can occur near
any reflective surface, such as a body
of water, Dr. Edmond said.
Treatment for UV keratitis is
somewhat limited. Many times,
patients have to wait it out. "An-
other treatment would be a bandage
contact lens, just like with a corneal
abrasion," she said.
When it came to the eclipse,
none of the centers with which she
is affiliated came across any cases
of patients concerned about their
post-eclipse vision. "There was a lot
of media coverage in this regard,"
Dr. Edmond said. "I hope it was due
to our widespread campaign of eye
safety." EW
boarding, this temporary blindness
can be dangerous.
Jane Edmond, MD, professor,
Departments of Ophthalmology and
Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medi-
cine, Houston, noted that when the
eyes are not sufficiently protected
from the sun, this can result in UV
keratitis. "It is like the worst bilat-
eral corneal abrasion you have ever
had," she said. "You cannot open
your eyes, they're constantly wa-
tering, and you're in terrible pain."
Patients experience an aching and a
stabbing pain, Dr. Edmond said.
"It occurs some hours after the
intense UV exposure," she said. If
you're not wearing the proper UV
goggles or sunglasses when dealing
with reflected UV light, it damages
the top surface of the cornea, the
epithelium, and acts like a scratch or
an abrasion, she explained. Ulti-
Editors' note: Drs. Deobhakta and
Edmond have no financial interests
related to their comments.
Contact information
Deobhakta: adeobhakta@nyee.edu
Edmond: jcedmond@texaschildrens.org
December 2017
